CHILECITO, ARGENTINA – It was a stunning stage victory for Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Bernhard ten Brinke (Netherlands) and French navigator Michel Périn on Stage 11 of Dakar 2018. The pair powered their South African-built and developed Toyota Hilux to a stage win, 04:35 ahead of Peugeot’s Cyril Despres; and 04:40 ahead of rally leader Carlos Sainz (Peugeot).

“We had a fantastic stage today,” said the victorious driver after nearly 12 hours on the road. “We had a good starting position, which meant we had some tracks to follow throughout the stage. When we caught up with Giniel and Dirk, we followed them for a large part of the stage, and this really helped me to see what was coming. In the end, it is a fantastic feeling to win one of the toughest stages on the Dakar, and I’m extremely pleased with the way Michel and I are working together in the car.”

Behind Ten Brinke, teammates Giniel de Villiers and German navigator, Dirk von Zitzewitz, drove a steady stage to maintain their position in the overall standings. The pair briefly got stuck, but their main challenge on Stage 11 was navigation.

“We were the second car into today’s stage, which made it really tricky to find the way,” said De Villiers from the dusty bivouac outside the Argentine town of Chilecito. “Under the circumstances, it was much safer to ease up a little to ensure we didn’t miss any waypoints.”

It was a tough stage for Toyota Gazoo Racing SA’s Nasser Al Attiyah and navigator Matthieu Baumel. The men in car number 301 battled to find their rhythm throughout the stage, and suffered two punctures. However, they remain positive in terms of the overall standings.

“The important thing is that there are still some difficult stages to come. We’ve not had the best luck so far,” said the Qatari driver from Chilecito, “but maybe that will change for the final few stages.”

Stage 11 saw Bernhard ten Brinke post the fastest time of everyone in his Toyota Gazoo Racing SA Hilux, with the three Peugeots of Despres, Sainz and Peterhansel filling the next three spots. Al Attiyah/Baumel were 5th-fastest, some 05:56 behind Ten Brinke; while De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz recorded the 6th-fastest time, 11:56 adrift.

In the general rankings, Peugeot’s Sainz still leads teammate Peterhansel by 50 minutes. The Toyota Gazoo Racing SA armada followed in third, fourth and fifth places, with Al Attiyah/Baumel leading the charge. They are now just two-and-a-half minutes clear of the flying Dutchman, Ten Brinke. De Villiers/Von Zitzewitz are holding steady in fifth place, twelve-and-a-half minutes behind Ten Brinke/Périn.

The Dakar Rally is heading for its final stages. Next up is Stage 12, between the Argentine towns of Chilecito and San Juan. It covers a distance of 523 km of racing distance, with a liaison of 270 km. This brings the total distance for the stage to 793 km, and the total distance covered in Dakar 2018 to date to 7,598 km.

“While the dunes of Belen and Fiambala were certainly two of the hardest stages in Argentina, Stages 12 and 13 shouldn’t be taken lightly,” said Toyota Gazoo Racing SA team principal Glyn Hall. “As a matter of fact, there can be plenty of drama over these two final long stages, so we have to remain focused.”

Dakar 2018 comprises 14 racing stages, with the event drawing to a close in the Argentine city of Cordoba on Saturday, January 20th.